‘Foundation’ Isn’t Homework

When television leaves us overwhelmed with so many shows to pick from, it’s hard to recommend something that requires a painstaking level of commitment. If a series starts to resemble homework—as the Marvel Cinematic Universe did when it spread from cinema to streaming—you wouldn’t blame anyone for tapping out and settling for the goofy pleasures of, say, The Summer I Turned Pretty. (Team Conrad, obviously.) But the very best that the medium has to offer can make all those hours dedicated to a show’s elaborate plotting, shocking twists, and ever-shifting character motivations worth the investment.